Feature: Causal networks clarify productivity-richness interrelations, bivariate plots do not

Photo: Bogong subalpine grassland in Australia, a participating site in the Nutrient Network Global Cooperative. Photo credit: Eric Land, Nutrient Network.

Lay summary from Functional Ecology:

Species diversity and productivity are among the most fundamental characteristics of ecosystems. While the importance of these ecological properties is universally agreed upon, the mechanisms connecting these two variables have been debated for decades without resolution. In an attempt to achieve a synthetic understanding of the collective effects of proposed mechanisms, some ecologists have turned to the examination of bivariate plots to see if particular patterns are consistently observed in nature.